Belfast Hospital School

Hello, my name is Laura and I am 12 years old. I go to Rainey Endowed Grammar School in Magherafelt. I have been in hospital for eight weeks because I have Osteomylitis. I came in on the 1st October. I was also in hospital at the start of the year, when I was in P7, for six weeks. Even though I was meeting new friends in hospital, I was missing all of my school friends.

While I was in hospital, my P7 class were getting ready to start making lighthouses. I was a bit disappointed because I was really looking forward to making a lighthouse and I wasn’t able to take part in this activity. My teacher then suggested that we’d do a video conference with my class. I was really happy about this because I really wanted to make a lighthouse and see all my classmates.

A video conference allows you to use your computer to send video images and sound across the internet. It is like a phone call with the big advantage that you see the person as well. We had to attach a webcam and a microphone to one of the computers so that my class could see and hear me. My class had to do the same.

My friend Kristy had to bring all the different materials for making the lighthouse to the hospital. When I looked in the bag of materials that she brought down for me, I could see: a pot of glue, wires (to make the circuit for the light), batteries, a roll or two of toilet roll, an empty Pringles box, an empty cereal box, newspaper and a roll of duct tape.

When the time came for the actual video conference, I felt nervous but excited at the same time because I hadn’t seen my classmates in a long time. When we got the video conference up and running, my teacher came on first to say hello and ask how I was and to explain how the video conference was going to work. He then passed it on to a group of two or three pupils. They had to explain the process of making the lighthouse and then demonstrate. I had to follow instructions and make it along with them. It felt as if I was in class with them even though I was miles away in hospital!

When my lighthouse was all finished, I was very proud and happy. When I switched it on, I was delighted that it worked.